Are You a Talent Trendsetter?

A recent survey by Jobvite reported that 69 percent of recruiters are expecting to see the race for talent rise. So, what can recruiters do to make sure they don’t fall behind? Ron Stewart, a recruitment industry veteran, who has owned companies in the IT, construction and medical sectors, says there are five key trends that recruiters should embrace. They are:

Get social. Social recruiting was big in 2014 and is getting even more popular in 2015. In fact, according to the Jobvite survey cited above, 73 percent of recruiters plan to invest in more social recruiting. LinkedIn remains the clear champion for social networking with 79 percent having found a hire through the site.

Convert passive to active. Active candidates (people seeking employment) have been the main focus of recruiters for some time, but passive candidates (people who are not looking, but are open to speaking to a recruiter) are a key talent pool. The LinkedIn Survey shows that at least 63 percent of members are not actively looking, but would still be interested in new job leads. References are an ideal passive candidate source.

Build your brand. People want to work for companies that have reputations for being great places to work and companies are taking notice. A good brand and company culture makes an impact. LinkedIn research has discovered that costs per hire can be reduced by 50 percent and turnover rates lowered by 28 percent when a company has a strong talent brand in place. 73 percent of companies in the LinkedIn survey plan to gain an edge focusing on company culture this year.

Be mobile. This trend is the least tapped – mobile recruiting. Companies and recruiters need to increase their mobile recruiting behaviors to match candidate demand. 2015 is the time to make recruitment websites mobile-friendly and to mobile-optimize job postings. The easier it is for candidates to search and apply, the more applicants companies can screen.

So, if you want to stay ahead of the hiring curve, focus on implementing these five tactics. You’ll be a talent trendsetter in no time.